Melbourne is the place to be in March, as it plays host to a series of iconic festivals across the state that celebrate food and wine, cutting edge fashion, beautiful flowers and fast cars. Major festivals include the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival, Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, Australian Grand Prix and Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show.

Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion FestivalThe Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival, running from 1 to 10 March, is Australia’s largest fashion event with ten days of fashion and entertainment across the city, celebrating style and creativity on the runway and beyond. Visitors can enjoy a series of fashion-focused events such as world-class runway shows featuring Australia’s established and emerging designers, state-of-the-art productions, beauty workshops, live entertainment and much more. In 2019, the Festival will hold the inaugural Australian Fashion Summit on Fri., 8 March, International Women’s Day. A breakfast has also been scheduled to discuss and celebrate women who promote social, economic and cultural change for women’s rights with a fashion lens.

On the Festival’s opening weekend is an immersive three-day takeover of Melbourne’s Malthouse Theatre. The resulting The House of Food and Wine will be a premium drinking and dining destination featuring top local and international chefs demonstrating their dishes, tastings and entertainment, workshops, food trucks and a daily Asian street food collaboration.

Other highlights include the Global Dining Series where top Australian and international chefs will take over the pans at some of Melbourne’s most loved restaurants; The Village Feast in the tiny Gippsland town of Jindivick; and the Crawl n Bite presented by Victoria Harbour and Restaurant Express where some of Melbourne’s best restaurants are offering two courses and a matched beverage for only $40.

Formula 1 2019 Rolex Grand PrixThe Formula 1 2019 Rolex Grand Prix from 14 to 17 March brings the excitement of fast cars racing at speeds of over 300 km/h to the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit, and features the world’s biggest motorcross stars including Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Australia’s very own Daniel Ricciardo.

The launch event celebrating the start of the 2019 FIA Formula 1 World Championship will take place on 13 March, offering fans the opportunity to see all 20 drivers and 10 team principals descend on Federation Square, opening the season for the first time together in the sport’s history. During the Grand Prix, fans can drop by the interactive Heineken Village where they can enjoy performances, the F1 Fan Zone, motor shows and kids’ corner.

Melbourne International Flower & Garden ShowThe Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show will entice visitors with its sweet scent from 27 to 31 March. The Southern Hemisphere’s largest horticultural event brings a together Australia’s most respected horticultural and floral designers in a series of immersive experiences including DIY workshops and installations such as a ”Charlie and the Chocolate Factory“-inspired indoor plant feature, an installation of a mystical palace fallen into disrepair and overgrown with plants.